Wheatgrass has been around for nearly 20 years, yet there’s still a lot of debate over which of its many forms is the best.
Often, it’s wheatgrass powder and wheatgrass juice powder that go head-to-head.
To offer an unbiased comparison of the two, our team spent tons of hours investigating which of the whole powder and juice powder forms ticks all the right boxes for safety and health.
Quick Summary
- Wheatgrass powder and wheatgrass juice powder offer outstanding health benefits, but neither is better than the other.
- Wheatgrass powder contains fiber, while juice powder has higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Both forms of wheatgrass can be easily incorporated into your diet for their various health benefits.
Which Is Better, Wheatgrass Powder Or Wheatgrass Juice Powder?
Wheatgrass powder and wheatgrass juice powder offer outstanding health benefits, but neither is better than the other.
Wheatgrass is the young grass or the newly sprouted leaves of the wheat plant, Triticum aestivum.
Although it’s sold in many forms, the juice powder and whole powder forms are often those subject to comparison.
It appears that the main argument around their differences revolves around the presence and absence of fiber.
Fiber, the part of plants that the human digestive tract can’t digest, is classified as soluble and insoluble. Soluble means it can be dissolved in water, while insoluble is the opposite.
Cellulose, the main constituent of plant cells, is an insoluble substance. When eaten, cellulose goes through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact.
When it comes to nutritional content, only wheatgrass powders have more fiber; juice powders don’t have them at all.
Whole powders contain both the insoluble fiber needed to maintain a healthy gut and the soluble fiber found in many fruits and berries.
However, juice powders will typically have more of the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- 11 times more calcium
- Twice the iron
- 4 times more chlorophyll
- Up to 42 times more superoxide dismutase
Although juice powder contains higher concentrations of these nutrients, it doesn’t necessarily mean that wheatgrass powder isn’t useful.
Several studies support the benefits of wheatgrass, including one research demonstrating that 1,000 mg a day of wheatgrass powder effectively decreased oxidative stress and elevated total antioxidant status [1].
What Is Wheatgrass Powder?
Wheatgrass powders call for the entire ingredient—or, at the very least, all its viable and edible components—to be ground into fine particles then dried into a powder.
Wheatgrass whole powder can also be made into tablets or capsules. Because of its nutritional benefits, it is often added to smoothies or used for juicing.
Due to its soluble and insoluble fiber content, consuming wheatgrass whole powder is an excellent option for achieving your Recommended Daily Intake (RDA) of fiber.
The average adult consumes only a quarter of the RDA for fiber, which is why adding wheatgrass powder is an easy way to meet that goal.
What Is Wheatgrass Juice Powder?
Wheatgrass juice powder requires the same grinding process as wheatgrass powder.
But what makes it different is the second process it undergoes, where all the fibrous and pulpy plant materials are filtered out.
The process leaves only the juice, which is then dehydrated into a powder.
This process concentrates the nutrients in juice powder even further, making it more potent than whole powder. The only downside, however, is the absence of fiber.
A teaspoon of juice powder is equivalent to 6 to 10 shots of fresh wheatgrass juice or a tray of wheatgrass.
The juice powder form also tastes a little less grassy than the whole powder form, but the flavor is still strong. One workaround for this is to mix it with juices that can overpower its natural flavor, such as orange or pineapple juice.
Benefits Of Wheatgrass
Although wheatgrass is associated with several health benefits, research on its effects on humans still lacks, with many studies focused only on its specific compounds.
However, this isn’t to say that wheatgrass is entirely ineffective.
According to the scientific evidence, here are some of the benefits linked to wheatgrass intake:
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Immune system booster
Despite its grassy smell and taste, research says that wheatgrass can strengthen the immune system, prevent disease, and detoxify the body.
That’s why wheatgrass advocates also take it to fight a number of common health conditions, including coughs, colds, fevers, digestive problems, and skin conditions.
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Potential treatment for serious illnesses
Test-tube studies have found that wheatgrass may help kill cancer cells and prevent the development of cancer. In fact, one human study found that it may reduce chemotherapy complications.
Wheatgrass can also potentially treat AIDS.
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It can provide excellent nutritional value
Wheatgrass contains many vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C, E, magnesium, iron, and amino acids.
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Improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Some animal studies suggest that wheatgrass products may assist in managing blood sugar levels and may even help lower blood cholesterol levels.
However, more human studies are needed to confirm if the same applies to people.
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Helps with weight loss
Animal studies have found that the thylakoids in wheatgrass whole powders promote satiety and weight loss. You can also add them to green smoothies to promote healthy weight management.
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Excellent source of amino acids and chlorophyll
Wheatgrass powder has 17 amino acids, 8 of which are essential amino acids, meaning the body can’t produce them.
It also has chlorophyll, a green plant pigment that offers many benefits to your physical health, like reducing inflammation.
“Wheatgrass is one of the highest sources of chlorophyll due to its rich deep green color. Chlorophyll is extremely cleansing, detoxifying, and energizing.”
- Kristen Johnson Brogan, Registered Dietitian
Chlorophyll also makes the blood oxygen-rich, and when the blood has more oxygen, it carries more nutrients to all the cells in your body.
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Rich source of antioxidants
Wheatgrass contains several antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, and glutathione, which effectively reduce oxidative stress.
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May reduce inflammation
According to one study, wheatgrass may help treat ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the digestive tract.
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Easy to incorporate into your diet
Aside from its many health benefits, wheatgrass can be consumed in many different forms.
Wheatgrass products come in juice, powder, tablet, and capsule forms, so you can easily add them to your diet.
Wheatgrass Powder vs. Wheatgrass Juice Powder: Key Takeaways
Both wheatgrass whole powder and wheatgrass juice powder provide outstanding benefits, so none of them is better than the other.
However, they have slightly different components, the most notable of which is the absence of fiber in juice powder.
But what sets juice powders apart is their nutritional value—they contain higher amounts of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and iron.
Let us know in the comments below if you have tried adding wheatgrass to your diet and what are your experiences with it.
Reference:
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5864022
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